The Celtics point guard withdrew from Team USA yesterday, sensing the writing on the wall as coach Mike Krzyzewski began to test different backcourt combinations minus Rondo.

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Did he withdraw? Or, did he get cut?

These are the questions surrounding Rajon Rondo’s departure from Team USA on Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday’s news may have been sudden, but it wasn't surprising.

Rondo swallowed his first career DNP-CD (Did Not Play-Coaches Decision) against Spain. While his poor outside range and inconsistent free-throw shooting were rarely exposed with the Boston Celtics, it would have been a liability in international play.

After losing the championship in heartbreaking fashion to the Los Angeles Lakers, Rondo needed time off to heal his mind and body. A death in his extended family wouldn’t have helped, either.

Team USA is also point guard heavy, with table-setters Chauncey Billups, Stephen Curry, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook. All are better shooters than Rondo. Even if he made the final roster, there would have been few minutes available.

Bottom line: whether he withdrew or got cut, Rondo and stars-and-stripes are better off after yesterday’s decision.

Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison is among "more than a dozen" suitors who have submitted non-binding bids for the Warriors, a source close to the negotiations said Tuesday.

"He is a part of it," the source said.

According to another source, so are the San Francisco Giants, 24 Hour Fitness owner Mark Mastrov, an NFL owner, a former Lakers star and a group of prominent Chinese businesspeople, among others. Galatioto Sports Partners and Warriors owner Chris Cohan will choose the best prospects in the next week.

HoopsVibe's Call: Give Larry Ellison a cape, tights, and Dwight Howard/Shaquille O'Neal's phone booth because he could be Superman and save the sorry Golden State Warriors.

Ellison, if approved as Golden State's owner, would bring something to The Bay that has been in short supply: sanity. Simply put, Cohan and Coach Don Nelson have ruined the Warriors. There's zero plan. Players, both past and present, have had significant issues with the club (see Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, and Al Harrington). Even their loyal fans are disgusted.

The right owner, Ellison, would surely hire the right basketball people -not Nelson and his group of faithful lackeys on the bench and in the front office. Talented youngsters like Andris Biedrins, Stephen Curry, and Ellis could then blossom with proper mentorship.

A change at the top would do Golden State good. It starts with Cohan cashing out as owner and being replaced with someone such as Ellison.

Is Cohan the problem with the Golden State Warriors? Does he have to sell for the team to turn things around? Get at us in the comment box below with thoughts.

Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2009-10 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Evans received 67 first-place votes (491 points) from a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Golden State’s Stephen Curry finished second with 391 points and Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings finished third with 204 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

The Rookie of the Year Award will be given to Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings later this week.

Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Scott Skiles believes his rookie point guard, Brandon Jennings, should have won the award. However, Skiles was more than understanding on why the voters chose Evans.

"Those [Jennings, Evans, Stephen Curry] were the three guys that stood out," Skiles said prior to Game 5 against the Hawks. "Each person that votes has their own criteria. All I can say is, I find it hard to believe there's any rookie that has been more valuable to their team than Brandon has been."

"But how can you argue with what Tyreke did or what Curry did," he said. "Those guys had great years as well."

The NBA has taken away Charlotte Bobcats broadcaster Dell Curry's rookie of the year vote because his son is among the leading candidates for the award.

Curry's son, Stephen Curry, is averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 assists per game for Golden State. He and Kings guard Tyreke Evans, who is averaging 20.3 points and 5.8 assists, are considered the front-runners to be top rookie.

"Oh, he's voting for Tyreke," Stephen Curry joked after his team's 103-94 loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. "That's good for me then. ... Just to be in that conversation is great for me."

NBA spokesman Tim Frank says Dell Curry will be allowed to vote for all the other postseason awards, but the league did not want to put him in an awkward position with the rookie award.